


Breathe Again

by Morningstar96



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Bed-sharing, Excess hand-holding and hugging, F/F, Flirting, Fluff, Inspired by Turf Wars comics, Oh no there's only one sleeping bag, SO MUCH FLUFF, Spirit World Vacation, They really needed that holiday, dragon-bird flight, the fluff they deserve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-03
Updated: 2019-06-03
Packaged: 2020-04-07 03:49:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19076887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morningstar96/pseuds/Morningstar96
Summary: Korra and Asami's vacation in the Spirit World, where they discover that all their flirting really does mean more (and also Asami loses her sleeping bag).





	Breathe Again

It’s been a week.

A week since Kuvira nearly destroyed Republic City before submitting to her fate, a week since Zhu Li and Varrick tied the knot, a week since Korra’s world was shaken up once more when she opened a spirit portal in the middle of a metropolis.

And now Korra was standing before said portal, in a crater filled with spirit vines that trailed out all across the city, and with an unexpected companion at her side.

Asami Sato was as elegant and steady as ever, regarding Korra with trusting, patient green eyes as they paused before the portal. Korra could feel the energy surging from it, and shivered at the sight of Asami being brought to an even more ethereal sort of beauty in the portal’s light.

Asami reached forward, almost shyly, her hands spreading out in offering. Korra smiled and took them, marvelling at the callouses on Asami’s slim fingers- evidence of her devout engineering work.

Their eyes lingered on each other a bit too long, their hands felt too soft and _perfect_ when clasped together- Korra’s heart stuttered at Asami’s breathtaking smile, at the blush settling over cheeks.

_Is it meant to be like this? Is this what having a best friend is supposed to feel like?_

Korra didn’t know. As outgoing and loving as she was, she’d still grown up in isolation, still had so much to learn when it came to the more subtle social skills. But whatever this was, whatever inexplicable bond had formed between the two of them, Korra knew she didn’t want to lose it. They’d started off rocky, but now, they’d become near-inseparable. And they were both in desperate need of a holiday.

‘Come on,’ she said, giving Asami’s hands a gentle squeeze. ‘Let’s go take a break.’

 

It started with Korra’s old friend, the great golden dragon-bird. As she helped Asami climb onto its back, there was a lot of soft giggling and not-entirely-necessary touching. Korra slid on after her, suddenly feeling hot and awkward. Did she just need to put her arms around Asami’s waist to secure her? She’d had no problem helping gently hoist Asami onto the dragon, even with all the unexpected tenderness during the process.

Curious at the sudden lack of closeness, Asami looked back and softened. ‘You can touch me, you know. I don’t particularly want to fall off.’

And with that, Korra wound her arms around Asami’s slender waist, taking in the subtly fruity scent of her hair (which definitely also had a trace of engine oil still in it, and that just made Korra adore her even more). Asami urged her to press forward, and Korra took the hint and settled in quite comfortably with her front flush against Asami’s back. Asami seemed to melt into her, almost sighing, and Korra resisted the ridiculous urge to sweep her hair aside and nuzzle into her neck. She blinked and shook herself, heart beating haphazardly. Where had _that_ thought come from?

_What was that about?_

She did, however, tighten her hold on her dear friend, and Asami leaned back until their cheeks were practically pressing.

‘Hi,’ Asami whispered, her voice seeming to drop an octave. There was a lazy sort of smile on her face, almost coy, and her eyes were darkening.

Something in Korra’s stomach fluttered nervously. This felt incredibly intimate, something that she was sure wasn’t reserved for friends, but her body suddenly flushed warm all over, and something in her seemed hooked on this intense physical proximity. ‘Hi,’ she murmured back, feeling the stupidest grin spread over her face. She pressed even closer, bringing up her legs to rest against Asami’s, and the dragon-bird took flight.

 

Korra soon fell silent, too wrapped up in her own thoughts and in Asami’s steady presence to concentrate on much else. As if sensing her disquiet, Asami slid her hands down to meet Korra’s, their fingers automatically entwining upon contact. Korra tightened her grip, almost feeling afraid to let go, and wondered of that was normal, too- if that’s what typical friends did as often as they did. Korra shook herself; did it really matter, in the end? If they liked to hold hands and stay close, that was their business and nobody else’s. They’d both had atypical childhoods compounded by too-large amounts of trauma, so it made total sense for them to behave a little intensely around each other.

It didn’t really mean anything.

_Right?_

Korra just held her friend tighter as the dragon-bird pulled in for a landing.

 

It happened at the swimming hole. Korra was minding her own business, setting out their picnic and casually stripping down to her bathers, when she heard a tiny squeak. Alarmed, Korra looked over to find Asami staring at her, a distinct blush spreading over her face.

‘’Sami? Korra said, looking over herself to see if there was something wrong. Had she brought embarrassing bathers? Was her belly covered in acne or something? But she found nothing of the sort.

‘I’ll, uh- go for a swim,’ Asami said, eyes still lingering over Korra’s form before she tore her gaze away and shrugged off her shirt.

Now it was Korra’s turn to suck in a breath, unexpectedly captivated by the sight of Asami stripping off her clothes. She found herself hooked, following the movement of Asami’s arms as they lifted off her shirt to reveal a lithe torso. She ducked her head, embarrassed at herself, when Asami unhooked her pants and shimmied out of them, leaving her clad only in a simple green bikini.

Asami looked at her expectantly, arms covering her chest in a self-conscious sort of gesture, and that blush was still there. ‘Coming in?’

Korra grinned, feeling strangely light-headed at the sight of so much of Asami’s skin. ‘Of course!’

The water was fantastic, though of course that was to be expected in the Spirit World. Korra slid through the water like a dolphin, embracing the freedom and peace of simply swimming for enjoyment without having to use water-bending for defensive and aggressive purposes. Asami was right behind her, clinging to her hand and swimming in a graceful breaststroke. Korra couldn’t help but grin again, stupidly delighted at the sight of Asami looking through the water with wide-eyed wonder.

 _She deserves this,_ Korra thought idly, halting in the water and bringing herself face-to-face with Asami before they swam back to the surface. Asami started giggling as soon as her head broke the water, and the laughter was infectious; soon they were both throwing water at each other and filling the little cove with the echoes of their laughter, and neither could remember having such fun in a long, long time. Korra was still laughing at a joke Asami had made, eyes closed as she tried to recover herself, when she felt Asami slip in the water. She hastily grabbed at her friend to steady her, and they ended up pressed flush against each other once more, and Korra’s heart stopped beating when she realised her face was mere few inches from Asami’s. She felt a blush crawl up her neck and cheeks, and the only sound was of their breathing. Korra’s arms were wrapped completely around Asami’s bare waist, their chests were pressed together, and Korra could feel _everything,_ including the hint of nipples through the thin fabric of Asami’s bikini top. Her stomach flopped over a few times as they stared into each other’s eyes, and Korra felt _scorched_ from the intensity of it all, like she’d just made a particularly powerful fire-bending move.

She found herself absently bringing her hand to Asami’s soft cheek and brushing away a strand of hair, still engaged in this strange staring contest. Asami seemed to be searching for something, her eyes blazing yet soft at the same time in her penetrating scrutiny.

‘Korra, I’-

But they were distracted by the emergence of a disgruntled spirit trying to drive them out of his territory.

 

The next two days went on in the same fashion. Being alone in the Spirit World seemed to offer them the sort of freedom they simply didn’t get back home, and their loosening inhibitions- their normal behaviour around each other when nobody was watching- become increasingly apparent. Korra remembered their previous time spent alone together, where they would sit so close on the couch and play pai sho or watch the sunset; their touches, unwatched by anyone else, would always become more frequent and less self-conscious.

Now that they were here, it became blatantly obvious just how _clingy_ they were. Korra thrived on Asami’s near-constant tentative offering of her hand to hold, of their easy hugs and casual touches that somehow needed no excuse.

On the second night, they were settling into their tent (shared, of course, to save space in their backpacks), and Korra was about to drift off when she heard Asami cursing as she riffled through her backpack.

‘Everything okay?’ Korra said, concerned. She sat up, finding Asami looking at her bag with a displeased expression.

‘I’ve lost my sleeping bag!’ she groused, running a hand through her hair in annoyance.

Korra swallowed nervously. It was embarrassing how quickly her mind shot to the one solution she’d thought of. ‘You could, uh, share with me?’

Asami eyed the sleeping bag doubtfully. ‘Would we fit?’

‘If we squeeze in tight?’

It was awkward at first, and Korra felt hot all over again as Asami squeezed into the bag from behind her. She swallowed uncertainly as they began to settle in amidst the rustle of the sleeping bag, both unsure of their boundaries as they wiggled in the confined space. It became apparent quite quickly that they would have to _spoon,_ and that Asami was determined to be the big spoon.

She could feel Asami’s hands hovering hesitantly around her waist.

‘You can touch me, you know,’ Korra teased, attempting a joke to lighten the intensity of this situation.

She could practically feel Asami roll her eyes. She finally wound her arms around Korra’s belly, and there was a lot more wriggling and generally getting comfortable. At last, Korra’s strangely picked-up heart rate began to settle back down again, and she just let herself enjoy the body heat radiating from her friend. Asami wriggled into her once more, and Korra melted back into her with a sigh she hadn’t realised she was holding in. Their arms and hands met, clasped at Korra’s midsection, and they held on tight.

‘Good night, Asami,’ Korra whispered.

‘Good night, love.’

It wasn’t unusual for Asami to refer to her as _love,_ but in this moment in time, with them in such an intimate position, Korra flushed all over again. She rubbed her thumb over the back of one of Asami’s hands, feeling her almost purr in response. Korra drifted off to sleep, her dreams full of Asami.

 

When she awoke, it was to find Asami nestled into her; they were now both on their sides, with Asami curling into Korra, her head tucked into Korra’s neck and one of her legs nestled between Korra’s.

She could feel the gentle puff of breath on her neck, was engulfed in Asami’s scent, was deliciously warm with their combined body heat. Korra couldn’t remember ever feeling so incredibly comfortable; she cracked open her eyes and instinctively pressed her mouth to the top of Asami’s head, barely resisting the urge to stroke back a loose strand of hair. This felt so peaceful, she just wanted to enjoy the moment and not wake Asami up yet.

But Asami was beginning to stir; she wriggled around, shifting her leg between Korra’s so that Korra almost gasped, and then outright _nuzzled into her neck._

She really didn’t know how to handle this. Whatever this was, it didn’t feel platonic, and she should probably wake up Asami now.

 _‘Mmm…’_ Asami stretched out against her, her arms unwrapping to run up delightfully against Korra’s back. Her hips ground a little against her pelvis as she moved, and Korra’s breathing stuttered in response.

_Why did this feel so fucking good?_

Korra finally gave into the urge to run her fingers through Asami’s silken hair, somehow still perfect even after sleeping. Asami sighed happily at the motion, her eyes still closed, and wriggled against Korra some more. Encouraged by this, Korra pressed her lips to Asami’s forehead and gently squeezed her hand.

‘Good morning,’ Asami mumbled, her face still buried somewhere against Korra’s neck. The vibration of her voice against such an intimate space threw Korra’s skin into distractingly pleasant goose bumps.

She took a deep breath. This pleasure humming throughout her system, this constant need for physical contact, this desire for more intimacy- it was all forcing her to accept the sort of thoughts that, upon further reflection, had been running in her head for a while now.

Squeezing her eyes briefly shut, Korra finally summoned her courage. ‘Hey, Asami? Can we talk?’

Asami pulled her head out from its cozied position. She blinked up at her with gorgeous light green eyes, and her hair was lazily swept to one side from her sleeping position, and she looked so deliciously bleary and flirty and _hot,_ especially when she looked at Korra with hooded eyes and bit her lip _-_

_Okay, Korra. Focus. Important conversation ahead._

‘Of course. What is it?’

Korra swallowed, trying to settle her hyper-aware nerves. She wanted to touch more, wanted to encourage Asami to keep doing what she was doing, but first she had to make sure they were on the same page.

Because that was kind of a lot important.

‘Do you ever… I was thinking, with all the flirting and stuff…you know…’ Korra huffed, unused to this sort of conversation, especially in such unfamiliar territory as this. She knew that women were supposed to want men, and while she did want men, she really couldn’t help but flash back to every time she’d been attracted to a woman. But was that normal? Was she reading this whole situation wrong? Would Asami just push her away in disgust?

Asami just squeezed her hands assuringly. ‘Whatever it is, you can talk to me. Something’s obviously bothering you.’

‘Do you ever want _more?’_ Korra blurted. She gulped again, carefully watching Asami’s face for her reaction. ‘You know, with me?’

Asami’s mouth went into a round O, her eyes widening before her expression softened again. ‘Oh,’ she whispered, leaning forward so their foreheads touched. She reached around, stroked a strand of hair behind Korra’s ear. Their breath ghosted against each other’s cheeks. Finally, she edged just that bit more forward, and pressed their lips together before pulling back. ‘Like this?’

‘Yeah,’ Korra breathed, running her hand up the back of Asami’s head to urge her closer again. ‘Like that.’

This time, the kiss went deeper; Korra licked at the seam of Asami’s mouth, resulting in a gasp that allowed her entrance. They revelled in this newfound development in their relationship for a while, simply trading experimental kisses until they found their rhythm. After that, it quickly became heated. Asami managed to wriggle on top of Korra, both of them moaning into each other as the change of position provided extra stimulation. Korra didn’t know how long they were making out for- she just knew that she’d never been kissed like this before, and that her new favourite thing was sliding her hands down Asami’s back to squeeze at her ass, drawing out the most delicious groan from Asami.

Finally, they broke apart for air. Korra grinned up at her, flushed and hot and thoroughly ready to explore the direction their bond had taken them. But her back was now getting sore from the lack of a mattress, and she wanted to do this whole thing properly.

‘Korra?’ Asami said, beaming down at her with the most heart-melting smile as she stroked her cheek. ‘What are you thinking?’

‘I’m thinking that I want to take you out on proper dates when we get back home,’ Korra said.

‘Is that so?’ Asami purred. ‘And what else?’

Korra touched their noses together. The sudden dilation of Asami’s pupils emboldened her. ‘I think I’d very much like to continue this in your room. Or my room. I’m not really fussed.’

Asami pecked her nose, and briefly got distracted with more kisses before speaking again. ‘I think that can most certainly arranged. But for now, we should get up and make the most of the Spirit World.’


End file.
